


Gutshot

by schweinsty



Category: Cellular (2004)
Genre: Gen, Hurt!Ryan, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 07:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8154563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schweinsty/pseuds/schweinsty
Summary: During the big showdown, Ryan gets shot in the stomach, not the leg.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a comment-fic prompt over on livejournal.

He drops the phone as soon as the cop's down, palms his hand over his stomach and doubles over.

Jesus Christ.

It feels like someone's taking a knife to his gut and twisting it around. Ryan curls up on the sand and groans.

"Hey kid, you all right?" Good Cop runs up, gun slack in his hand. He kneels next to Ryan's head and puts his hands on Ryan's shoulder. Ryan knows he should sit up or straighten out, let the guy get a look at his wound, but he can't. He can't think of anything but the burning pain.

Except-

"Jessica." It comes out as more of a sob than a word, but he tries again. "Jessica Martin. Go find her. There's more of them."

Good Cop waivers, clearly torn between looking after Ryan and chasing down more bad guys, but the thought of someone else in danger seems to win out. "You sure?"

"Go." Ryan sucks in a breath and doesn't hyperventilate on it, which he counts as a win. "I'll be okay."

"I'll send help right away." Good Cop holsters his gun. "Hang in there."

Ryan tries. He really does. It's hard, though. Even with the worry that Jessica is in danger, the fear that the cop he knocked out might wake up and shoot him, it's hard to focus enough to keep his eyes open and his mind steady. The pain in the stomach is overpowering, overriding all but the baser thoughts of get it out, make it stop, somebody help me and make it stop hurting.

He shuts his eyes--just for a second--and even that fades away, eventually.

 

There's a beeping, a really loud, obnoxious beeping. It won't let him stay asleep, and he really wants to stay asleep. It's funny. That sounds almost like his cell phone when he gets a text message, but something about it is just a little bit off.

"I'm coming," he mumbles. His mouth doesn't work exactly the way it should, tongue too thick and lips too stiff. The beeping doesn't stop. "Shut up."

"Ryan?"

Chloe? It's a struggle to get his eyes open, but it's worth it. Yep, there's Chloe, sitting at his side, hand warm on his arm, looking as beautiful as ever.

"Hey," she says with a soft smile.

The hospital gown rustles when he moves his hand--oh. Right. Hospital. He got shot in the stomach and--

"Jessica?" He tries to sit up, but Chloe pushes him back down. "Jessica. Jessica Martin. Is she all right? Did he find her?"

"It's all right." Chloe set hers her hand on his shoulder. "Everyone's fine. You're police friend got to Jessica and her family just in time, and they're safe. Everyone's all right."

It's like a weight off his chest. Ryan slumps back into his pillows and takes a deep breath. It doesn't hurt at all, which is surprising.

"I'm on some good drugs, huh?"

Chloe grins. "The best."

"They arrest everyone?"

Chloe nods. "They found the recording on your cell phone. A bunch of bad cops are going away for a long time, thanks to you."

This thread of conversation leads somewhere pretty good, and he'll have to revisit it once he's out of the hospital bed, but Ryan's got a couple other priorities at the moment.

"Sorry," he starts. He feels tired just from talking this little bit. "Think I might fall asleep on you."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Chloe pats his arm. "I'll be right here. Your mom's flying in this afternoon. Oh, and Jessica said she'd visit later. I, uh, might have told her what your apartment was like, and she said you're going to stay with her family once you get out. Until you heal up. Said she's a biology teacher and she doesn't want you recovering in a biohazard."

That's a conversation he'll have to pick up later, too, because excuse you but Ryan's apartment is a perfectly healthy environment, thank you very much. He opens his mouth to start saying as much, but somewhere in between drawing breath and speaking he falls back asleep.

That's all right. It'll keep.


End file.
